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By Dr. John Greever

John 14:1, 27 “Do not let your heart be trouble; believe in God, believe also in Me…Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

Turmoil and unsettledness make a troubled emotional sea difficult to bear.  Circumstances that rob us of our cherished security cast us into the deep water of worry where we feel overwhelmed and uncertain.

But circumstantial trouble is often small compared to the trouble we feel in our souls.  Worry and anxiety rise within the human heart like monsters threatening to crush our peace and security. 

Jesus speaks to His disciples to help them with this problem, and what Jesus says cuts at the root of worry.  

Jesus speaks of three important aspects of winning the battle of soul disturbances.  First, Jesus forms the basis of inner peace by talking about faith in God and in Christ.  Faith and fear cannot inhabit the same heart at the same time.  Jesus reminds us that God exists, and He reminds us that He is the One in whom we must put our faith.  This faith is like a mighty gun to blast fear out of our hearts.  Faith believes in God and faith believes all that God has said, resulting in assurance and certainty.  

Second, Jesus announces to His disciples that peace is a gift that He gives to us.  Jesus bequeaths to His saved people many wonderful and rare gifts, including peace.  Peace only comes from Jesus; peace is the favor that Jesus bestows on those who trust in Him.  What a wonderful peace this is!  This peace glistens with heavenly joy and wonder.  Jesus says that this peace is His peace; it has His grandeur and majesty in it.  There is no peace on earth that compares with the peace that Jesus gives.  The Bible calls this peace incomprehensible to the human mind (Philippians 4:7); it is miraculous and supernatural.

Third, Jesus calls His disciples to act decisively on the basis of truth and Jesus’ gifts to us.  We must believe that what Jesus said is true, then we must put our faith and obedience into action.  We must comply with His teaching on this subject, and we must embrace it to live by it.  Truth is always true, but it takes action to implement the power of truth in our lives.  We MUST live in accord with what Jesus says!  Then peace comes to take up residence within our humble abode, and it brings its favor and freedom.

Dear Christian friend, will you not this day hear the words of Jesus?  Will you not take His gift of peace for your life?  Trust in Him, and you will find Him faithful to every promise He made.

Prayer: Dear Lord, please help me this day to trust in You.  Help me to believe Your promise and word, so that I may follow You and know Your peace in my heart in the storm of life that I face.  Thank You for Your wonderful grace gifts to me, including peace for my struggles.  Amen.

John Greever is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Fenton, MO and is a part of the leadership team for Founders Midwest.

Registration is open for the 2024 Midwest Founders Conference featuring Dr. Joel Beeke. The conference is taking place on February 27 & 28 at the First Baptist Church in Fenton, MO. If you would like more information about the upcoming conference or Founder Midwest in general, be sure to check out our Facebook page or visit our website.

By Dr. John Greever

Hebrews 11:13 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”

When the Lord transforms hearts and minds in regeneration (what a blessed moment that is!), Christians suddenly begin to discover that not only are they changed, but this change makes this world feel strange and different to them.  Before we were saved, we felt quite at home in a world in rebellion against God; we too shared the same nature of iniquity.

But after being born again, the Christian finds himself behind enemy lines.  This world becomes a battlefield in which light and darkness clash.  This is true environmentally, relationally, and even psychologically.  We are, as Christians, entombed in an environment that is in consummate reaction AGAINST God.  Our relations with other non-believers are strained, even with family and previously close friends.  And, sadly, we find that a principle of sin still resonates in our inner lives, and we yearn for the happy day when the Lord will grant us release from our present spiritual struggle.

Yes, the people of God ARE strangers and exiles on earth.  Nothing here conforms to Christ, and nothing here aids us on our way to heaven.  We are pilgrims marching through a dry desert land.  

But we have the blessed assistance of God’s promises, and we welcome them, treasure them, and nurture them in faith and hope.  As the Israelites found God’s promise to grant provision in the wilderness, so we find God’s promise accompanying us on the dusty trails in the vale of tears.  We look down the corridor of our earthly journey to that time when promise will be changed to experience; we walk by faith now, but soon we will have SIGHT!  Every tear will dried, every heartache mended, every fear soothed, and even our fleshly propensity for sin will be changed to absolute and delightful holiness; we will be HOME!  Like ancient saints of God, we welcome this fulfillment to God’s promise from afar, and we know it will not be long.  At every turn, through every valley, we confess that we belong to that happy heavenly land, the land God promised us in Christ.  Until then we focus today on the hope of tomorrow and seek to keep our feet on the narrow path of God’s will and truth.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we feel different than other people on this earth, those who know not Christ as Savior and Lord.  There is a loneliness that is inherent in this.  But we also rejoice that You have mercifully chosen us for Yourself and Your kingdom.  We thankfully worship You for Your kindness to us in the gospel, which contains promise to sustain us every day we live.  Help us to live in faith believing that Your promise is true and strengthen us with hope for the day when promise will be fulfilled in heaven.  Amen.

John Greever is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Fenton, MO and is a part of the leadership team for Founders Midwest. If you would like more information about Founders Midwest and the annual conference, be sure to check out our Facebook page or visit our website for more information.

By Dr. John Greever

2 Timothy 4:18 “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

This is the testimony of God’s servant who had known riots, prison, and persecution for Christ throughout his ministry.  He faced enemies from without and within.  And, in addition, he knew that he soon would face the final sacrifice in a martyr’s death (2 Timothy 4:6).  This final chapter of his final book that he would write contains what amounts to be his epitaph.  His faith in what God will do, above and over all things, is this: “The Lord WILL rescue me from every evil deed and will bring me SAFELY to His heavenly kingdom.”

Our precious Shepherd will do no less for us as he did for Paul.  Our Jesus will rescue us from every evil deed.  He will turn every satanic attack into good.  Every flaming arrow shot at us from the enemy’s bow will stick into our shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16).  Every action turned toward us in contradiction to God’s truth and love will by God’s providential power and grace be transformed into goodness for our souls (Romans 8:28).  Every evil deed becomes a stone to pave the way for God to bring us safely into His heavenly kingdom.

How can we not rise in praise to God and express joy in His provision?  Can we not say with the Apostle, “To Him be the glory forever and ever?”  Though we live in the land of the evil one, we live with the praise of our God.  What a miracle; what a magnificent mystery this is!

Sweet Christian friend, the Lord is with you in your sickness, your sorrow, your grief, and your fears.  He is daily abiding with you.  His care for you is a rescue mission; He will rescue you from every evil deed.  He will defend, deflect, and destroy the enemy’s plots against you.  Your Captain is mighty to save!  Will you not in faith yield to Him?  Will you not rest your anxieties upon Him?  Will you not surrender to His protective will and care?  It would wise to do so!  Lean into your troubles by leaning on the Lord!  And one happy, glorious day the most wonderful miracle will occur for you and to you: the Lord Jesus will rescue you by taking you home to heaven.  You will be “safely” delivered into His heavenly and loving arms FOREVER!  What joy will be ours then!  What peace is ours now!  Sweet friend, rest in Jesus, hope in Jesus, look to Jesus, and walk with Jesus all your days.  The troubled “now” is safe to trod, and the distant future glistens with the hope that cannot fail. Prayer: Dear sweet Lord, thank you for not abandoning me to my trials and tests of faith.  Thank you for standing with me and being faithful to Your promises.  In every experience of my life, help me to remember You above all the strife and trouble of my life.  And grant to me that I may have faith to know that You are rescuing me in ways I may never understand, and one day You will rescue me by taking me to heaven.  Please help me to live in the sunshine of Your promise and grant that I may live on the solid rock of future grace.

John Greever is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Fenton, MO and is a part of the leadership team for Founders Midwest. If you would like more information about Founders Midwest and the annual conference, be sure to check out our Facebook page or visit our website for more information.

By Dr. John Greever

2 Kings 6:16 “So he answered, ‘do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

So often in life the quantifiable observation of things seems to render a negative and discouraging response from God’s people.  How often it appears on the surface that the devil is winning the day; so many people seem to support the devil’s side and be going his way.  We recall the words of Jesus in Matthew 7 that there are many on the road to destruction.  We see this, and we wonder if God has any people at all; we query if God has anyone left.  We join in the plaintiff chorus with God’s suffering people, “O God, when will You show up and grant us Your mercy and relief?”

But situations are often different than they appear.  So many times, the Lord is present, and we do not see Him; He is working, and we do not feel Him.  We must pray that God would so work in us that we would have Elisha’s eyes to see the unseeable, to trust our God for His provision concerning which the eye of flesh is blind, and to look to our God who often in providence is unobservable to our earthly perception. 

Yet, Elisha saw the Lord’s resources by faith; his faith was fueled by God’s promise and calling.  He surely was walking by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).  And what did he see with the eyes of faith?  He saw the great hosts of God mighty and strong, ready to protect him and rally to his side.  He saw that his covenant God, Yahweh, had at His disposal myriads of angels, waiting to rush to his aid at God’s beckon and call.  He saw that the enemies of God paled in comparison to the might and power of the covenant-keeping God.

May we too have these faith-eyes to see what earthly eyes cannot see; may our faith-minds understand what earthly minds cannot perceive or grasp.  May God’s covenant promise to us in Christ float us over the waves of fear, holding us aloft from our dark forebodings.  For surely, as the people of God’s saving grace, we must know that He is providentially with us, and we must assuredly know, “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Christian friend, I pray that the Lord will open your spiritual eyes to God’s wondrous and ever-present messengers of care and protection.  Do not look with earthly eyes; the arm of flesh can never avail.  Look with the eyes of faith and simple child-like trust.  Your God is with you!

Prayer: Dear Lord, I cannot see You or Your provisions with my earthly eyes.  Thus, I often wrongly think that You are absent in my situation.  Please give to me spiritual and eternal eyes, the eyes of faith, to see Your protection and care in my life.  Please take this fear away from me and give to me the calm assurance that I am safe in Your hands. Amen.

John Greever is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Fenton, MO and is a part of the leadership team for Founders Midwest. If you would like more information about Founders Midwest and the annual conference, be sure to check out our Facebook page or visit our website for more information.

By Dr. John Greever

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary.”

One of the most common experiences of God’s faithful servants is weariness.  This is not always a sin, though it might lead to sin.  To be weary in the work of Christ may simply be a manifestation of our human weakness and the heavy burden we are required to bear.  George Whitefield, the famous 18^th century evangelist, once said, “I never get weary of the work, but I often get weary in it.”  How true this is!

Christ’s servants are weary with the heaviness of responsibility, we are often weary by the seemingly incessant opposition and drain that it causes on us.  And the weariness we feel is such that we might feel as if it envelopes us and swamps our joy and hope.  These are risky times for God’s people.  We must never in the throes of weariness and discouragement make large life decisions (unless thrust upon us by divinely ordained circumstances).  We must seek to endure and persist to continue onward looking to the Lord for strength and enablement that we might abide.

Our text helps us to draw fresh insight in such weary times.  First, it reminds us that we must see discouragement for the monster that it is.  The command verb confronts our contemplation to quit; it will not allow us an easy out.  The Scripture says, “Let us not become discouraged.”  We must hold ourselves accountable and responsible.  We must not yield to the temptation to capitulate.  The Scripture does a marvelous job of focusing our attention by instructing us to do what is good.  This is our calling; this is our task.  We must be faithful and determined in this regard.

The Scripture also gives a wonderful promise (with a condition appended).  This promise fuels our determination and our constancy.  The Word of God states, “in due time we will reap, if we do not grow weary.”  O, what a wonderful harvest is coming for those who remain steadfast!  Every effort for Jesus (no matter how small and insignificant it may appear in our eyes) will be blessed for the glory of God.  We seek to endure because we know that in enduring, the Lord will work in and through our effort.  Others may not affirm us, and we may feel like a failure, but God is working for His glory in every staunch endeavor for Jesus.  We will someday find that much more was achieved than we first thought.  We MUST believe this and be strengthened by the promise in it.  Let us simply seek to “not grow weary” (and quit!) in the process.  Let us today bring to Christ our weakness and offer ourselves completely to His will and service.  And let us KEEP GOING for His glory!

Prayer: Lord, I feel so tired!  Please help me to keep on serving You as long as You want me to.  Please grant fresh strength and joy in my tasks, and help me never to back down or back up in the work to which You have called me.  I want to serve You and make a difference in Your kingdom.  Thank You for the privilege and the opportunity.  Amen.

John Greever is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Fenton, MO and is a former professor of Bible at Missouri Baptist University. He is a part of the leadership team for Founders Midwest and is a speaker at this year’s Founders Midwest Conference. If you would like more information about Founders Midwest and the annual conference, be sure to check out our Facebook page or visit our website for more information. To register for the conference click here.

By Dr. John Greever

1 Samuel 30:6 “David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered (literally, “bitter in soul”), each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”

Has there been a moment in your life when your entire world seemed to cave in on you?  These are times when no matter how hard you try, nothing seems to work out right.  You beat and beat on the walls of the difficulty, and they just won’t budge.  There is a common saying, “If anything can go wrong, it will.”  It just seems at times when this little saying is a truism of life.

David’s world had caved in on him!  The worst that he feared most actually HAPPENING!  David lost his family, David lost all he owned, and those who had faithfully stood with him and supported him turned against him.  HE HAD NO ONE BUT GOD!

But out of David’s distress, he sought the Lord.  In his time of weeping and trouble, David “strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”  Did David remember the time God delivered him from beasts while protecting and caring for sheep?  Did David remember that good and glorious day in the Valley of Elah when the Lord empowered and guided his hand to slay the giant, Goliath, with a single stone launched from his slingshot?  Did David remember those psalms he wrote that God had inspired in his heart?  Surely David did all of this, and he also PRAYED.  He turned to the Lord, and he sought the Lord’s protection, provision, guidance, and help.  And God did help him.

Every Christian has multiple times and multiple contexts throughout life when we are overwhelmed, strenuously burdened, and we despair of what to do. It is in these times when we are in danger of quitting, turning back, and giving up.  But we must never give in to these allurements of darkness; we must strengthen ourselves in the Lord. 

But how can we do that?  When in the throes of depression, and discouragement let us read the sweet promises of God contained in the Scripture.  Let us feed on the heavenly manna of the Lord’s assurance that He is with us, watching over us, and providentially leading us to green pastures and cool streams of water to quench the thirst in our souls.  Let us remember that if God chose us before the foundation of the world, if God paid for our sins in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and if God is preparing a place for us in heaven to share His glory, then WE WILL ENDURE this present trial, and we will come through the valley of hardship with a clearer picture of God’s truth and a sweeter aroma of His friendship with us in Christ.  If all is not well now, it will be well when we see the outward accomplishment of God’s shepherdly care.  Never fear, only trust!

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, help me to fight against despair in my life! Help me never to give in to the dark thoughts in my mind and heart. Help me to look to You in faith and help me to strengthen myself in Your promises and presence. Thank You for being present with me when I need You the most. I love You! Amen.

John Greever is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Fenton, MO and is a former professor of Bible at Missouri Baptist University. He is a part of the leadership team for Founders Midwest and is a speaker at this year’s Founders Midwest Conference. If you would like more information about Founders Midwest and the annual conference, be sure to check out our Facebook page or visit our website for more information. To register for the conference click here.

By Dr. John Greever

2 Corinthians 4:5, 7 “We do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord…We have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.”

Sometimes, surprisingly, the most precious treasures are found in common containers.  God has chosen to place His surpassing transcendent gifts and realities in lives that the world shuns as not worthy.  Of course we are not worthy, but that is the point; our unworthiness magnifies God’s worthiness when God extols His greatness in our insufficient and weak humanness.

The real problem is that those who perceive themselves to be wise and intelligent keep imposing their broken perception (which they wrongly judge to be magnificently insightful) onto God’s eternal wisdom.  And without fail when this is done, human analysis and projection falls far short of the glorious truth of God.  Human wisdom becomes, in point of fact, foolish.

The Lord in His glorious wisdom and will chooses the weak, the small, and those whom the world treats as nothing to exalt and magnify His name and power.  This is to the glory of the Lord!

One of the tragic effects of sin in the human fabric of being is the loss of mental ability to reason in accord with ultimate reality.  As a result, we constantly see things from a “lower” perspective; rather than a “higher” perspective – God’s perspective.  Thus, we continually evaluate incorrectly, and we make mighty and assertive pronouncements that sound intelligent, but in fact, are magnificently inane.  We would do well to heed the command of the heavenly Father made to Peter when he dared to insert his opinion in a holy moment on the Mount of Transfiguration, “Be quiet, and listen to Jesus” (Luke 9:35, paraphrase).

Yes, we would do well to begin always with the clear teaching of the text of Scripture, then apply our intellectual capacities to the text in a way that honors what the text says, so that the truth of God is maintained in human contemplation. 

The point is (according to our text) that our humanness is to become the glass through whom the greatness and power of God are magnified for all to see.  We must not, and we will not, rob God of His glory to elevate ourselves; this is IDOLATRY!  We preach Christ, not ourselves; we have the treasure of the gospel in our human weakness and brokenness that the power of God may be exalted.  Then others will be drawn to Jesus, not to us; we are simply servants of our Lord by being servants of His message of hope.  There is no greater way to dignify and ennoble our human frailty and smallness than to be the container for the transcendent life and message of God.  We say with John the Baptist, “He must increase, and I must decrease” (John 3:30).  As we get lower, He is higher in the perception of others; this is the way to enshrine our significance.

Dear Christian friend, you have in your weak and insufficient human life the grandiose truth and life of Christ.  You cannot be honored higher than this!  Live in the joyful reflection of this reality; become the light of Light to those in darkness around.  Shine with joy, gratitude, love, and humility; give the glory to Jesus and His gospel.  No matter what others think about you or say about you, you are wonderfully honored by being simply a humble vessel for the incomprehensible treasure of God.

Prayer: Dear Lord, keep me from exalting myself!  Help me to remember that I have no higher significance than that which You gave to me by choosing me, saving me, and placing the life of Christ in me.  Help me to learn to go lower, so I can exalt You.

John Greever is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Fenton, MO and is a former professor of Bible at Missouri Baptist University. He is a part of the leadership team for Founders Midwest and is a speaker at this year’s Founders Midwest Conference. If you would like more information about Founders Midwest and the annual conference, be sure to check out our Facebook page or visit our website for more information. To register for the conference click here.

By Dr. John Greever

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.  For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life.”

We each have an impact on those around us; our lives bear a fragrance that others can detect.  The fragrance of life may be initially detected by what we do and how we live, but the real source of our fragrance of life is what we truly are, what we really are on the inside.

Christians bear this fragrance in their lives; this is the “sweet aroma of the knowledge” of God in “every place.”  We cannot help it, we live out the fragrance of the knowledge of God in our hearts, and this knowledge bears forth an inevitable aroma of sweetness that others can sense.  They sense it before they see it; they sense it before they even know it.  Yes, “we ae a fragrance of Christ to God.”

But to the “perishing” we are an “aroma from death to death”, but to the saved, we are an “aroma of life to life.”  There is nothing more attractive than the aroma of life!  We smell the sweet savor of life in the one who has Christ as life.  This aroma soothes, comforts, encourages, and undergirds us; we live with the joyful sensation that there is life in this person’s life.  What a powerful attraction this is!  To those who seek life, life is beautiful and sweet!  But for those who breathe the air of death, darkness, and destruction, life is a contradiction to their very existence; thus, life smells like death.  In such cases the smell of life actually repels those existing in death; there is repulsion and a negative reaction to life for those abiding in death.  This is the explanation of John 3:19 concerning the rejection of Christ: “Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light.”  Christ was hated by those living in death; therefore, they crucified Him.

Dear Christian friend, do not be surprised if the LIFE that is your life does not attract those in death; they are not drawn to you; they do not even understand you.  But you will find that your life in Christ will be a light that draws other Christians to you.  We may not be large in number, but the sweetness of the aroma of fellowship and common life between us is a taste of the sweetness we will have in heaven together.  Enjoy the fragrance of life!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You that You made me in Christ to have the life that is true life.  Please grant that my life will have the true fragrance of that life and use my fragrant life in the lives of others.  And may this be for Your glory always. Amen.

John Greever is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Fenton, MO and is a former professor of Bible at Missouri Baptist University. He is a part of the leadership team for Founders Midwest and is a speaker at this year’s Founders Midwest Conference. If you would like more information about Founders Midwest and the annual conference, be sure to check out our Facebook page or visit our website for more information. To register for the conference click here.

By Dr. John Greever

Hebrews 13:5b “He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”

The writer of Hebrews very likely drew from God’s promise to Joshua in the Old Testament where the Lord made the very same promise to Joshua as he took over the leadership of Israel when Moses died (Joshua 1:5).  But this promise from God is not just for one or two of His choice people; rather, it is the glorious promise of the Lord God to each one of His people wherever we may be and whenever we may live in history.  God promises to stick with us and by us, no matter what!  The greatest gift that God can give to anyone is HIMSELF.  He says to us as we trudge down the road of life facing come what may: “I am with you, I will not desert you, and I will not abandon you.”  No matter how difficult the journey, I am with you, and I will not abandon you.  No matter how weak we are, how sick we are, no matter how far astray we feel from God, God’s absolute promise (a promise cannot fail) is this: “I will not leave you, desert you, or abandon you; I am with you always.”  This was also the precious promise of Jesus to His disciples as they would see to obey Him in making disciples (Matthew 28:20).

Does it matter who rises up against us if God is with us?  If God is for us, does it matter who is against us (Romans 8:31)?  Does it matter how hard the challenge might if God is with us?  Does it matter if we are strained beyond the scope of our ability and faith if God is with us?  If God is with us, we can climb over the walls that shut us out if we look to the Lord (Psalm 18:29; 2 Samuel 22:30).

In our Lord and through our Lord, we have the strength to march on.  In our Lord and through our Lord, all that is needed will be provided in God’s way, in God’s time, for God’s work and for God’s glory.

But there is something else – something embedded in the promise that we must not miss.  By giving us this promise, God is promising that He Himself will be with us.  He will fellowship with us, He will tenderly draw near when we are lonely, and He will sweetly open our hearts to feel the pulse of His love for us that we might be strong and motivated to keep running the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1).  God promises His child in this verse sweet communion with his Creator and Savior that satisfies the soul.

There simply is no greater promise in all the Bible than this – God promises to be with us and never abandon us.  Sweet Christian friend, your sins will not take God from you, your weaknesses will not make you Savior leave, and your circumstances will not cast Him from you.  As the Bible says in Romans 8:37-39 there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that can take God’s love from us, nor take us from God’s Himself.  Wherever God’s love is, there God Himself is in intimacy and sweetness.  Rest in this promise and keep going!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you SO MUCH for sticking with me.  There are times I am so disgusted with myself that I wonder why You would stay with me, but You do.  I can do nothing but worship You, thank You, and lean hard on You.  For in so doing, I honor You.  Amen.

John Greever is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Fenton, MO and is a former professor of Bible at Missouri Baptist University. He is a part of the leadership team for Founders Midwest and is a speaker at this year’s Founders Midwest Conference. If you would like more information about Founders Midwest and the annual conference, be sure to check out our Facebook page or visit our website for more information. To register for the conference click here.

By Dr. John Greever

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.  In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”

The history of the church of Jesus is a history of bloodshed, violence, mayhem, and suffering.  We read with amazement Paul’s description of what it was like to be an apostle of Christ in the first century: “For I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.  We are fools for Christ’s sake…we ae weak…we are without honor…we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless.  We toil, working with our hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now (1 Corinthians 4:9-13).”  Who, pray tell, would want this job?  Who would stay in this job with all one has to endure to remain?

The answer to these and other questions is found in the first two verses: “Servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”  Paul could not be bought or bribed, because his heart and his mind were committed to Christ and the gospel.  He had met and had been changed by the resurrected Christ.  This life and this world held no charm for him.  He was a man set apart for God, and his heart passion was invested in Christ and the gospel.

There is nothing greater than this!  This world has no adequate reward or riches to compensate for its toil and sorrow.  This world’s treasure is but a passing treat that soon melts into oblivion, leaving only the bitter taste of lost dreams and terrible disappointments.  How sad that many people give their love, their joy, and their lives to this world that is passing away (1 John 2:17)!  And eventually, and inevitably, their lives are lost because they invested poorly.

The Christian is reckoned to be poor and shameful in the eyes of the world, but to God he or she is precious beyond compare.  The child of God hopes for no earthly gain or worldly reward.  The child of God is bereft of this world’s power and prestige.  However, God’s people are rich in heavenly joy and treasure.  We seek here in time and space only to be good servants of Christ and faithful stewards of the gospel of the cross.  It is enough for us that God is pleased with us; we need nothing else.  In His joy, we have joy; in His approval, we are content.  Dear faithful Christian, do not grieve over lost earthly wealth or approval.  But rest content in God’s will, God’s way, and God’s promise; He is enough for us!

Prayer: Dear Lord, keep me from seeking worldly acclaim, and help me to instead seek Your will and way for my life.  Help be to be a faithful follower of Jesus and help to live so as to be a trustworthy proclaimer of the gospel of Christ, my Savior and Lord.

John Greever is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Fenton, MO and is a former professor of Bible at Missouri Baptist University. He is a part of the leadership team for Founders Midwest and is a speaker at this year’s Founders Midwest Conference. If you would like more information about Founders Midwest and the annual conference, be sure to check out our Facebook page or visit our website for more information. To register for the conference click here.